![\"\"](\"https:\/\/panoramanews.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Mike-Tyson-and-Jake-Paul-768x524-1-300x205.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul<\/p>\n
By Publisher<\/p>\n
Kindly share:<\/p>\n
Nearly 40 years after his professional debut, and 19 years after retiring, 58-year-old Mike Tyson will return to the ring on Friday in a Netflix-backed bout that has stirred widespread condemnation in the boxing world.<\/p>\n
Tyson, who dominated the heavyweight division in the late 1980s, will lace up the gloves once more to face YouTuber Jake Paul, 27, in an officially sanctioned fight at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.<\/p>\n
The bout, set for eight two-minute rounds, was initially scheduled for July but was postponed in May when Tyson required medical treatment after vomiting blood on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles due to a bleeding ulcer.<\/p>\n
The incident has fuelled criticism of Friday\u2019s fight, with many condemning it as a macabre spectacle that poses undue risk for Tyson, who last appeared in a professional ring in 2005, ending in a technical knockout loss after quitting on his stool against Irish journeyman Kevin McBride.<\/p>\n
\u2018It Shouldn\u2019t Be Happening\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cMike Tyson retired from boxing 20 years ago and was already worn out,\u201d British promoter Eddie Hearn said this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf anyone thinks Mike Tyson should be in a ring at this age, you either have absolutely no concern for him, or you\u2019re being reckless. This shouldn\u2019t be happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hearn\u2019s fellow promoter, Frank Warren, echoed the sentiment.<\/p>\n
\u201cMike Tyson is 58 years of age and he shouldn\u2019t be fighting,\u201d Warren said. \u201cIt\u2019s as simple as that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Comparing the fight to a roadside accident, Warren added, \u201cYou\u2019re on the motorway, and everyone\u2019s slowing down just to look at a crash \u2014 that\u2019s what this is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tyson, reportedly earning around $20 million for the bout, has dismissed concerns for his wellbeing, claiming critics are motivated by jealousy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m beautiful, that\u2019s all I can say,\u201d he responded earlier this year. \u201cThose who criticise wish they were in my place. No one else can do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
At an open workout in Texas this week, Tyson declared that his intense training camp had convinced him he was tougher than he\u2019d realised.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I agreed to this fight, I thought, \u2018What was I thinking?\u2019 But I completed the process. The fight is the celebration. All the hard work is done.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Wednesday\u2019s press conference in Texas, a focused Tyson avoided pre-fight hype, saying simply, \u201cI\u2019m just ready to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
A global audience on Netflix and thousands in AT&T Stadium will be watching on Friday to see if Tyson\u2019s efforts pay off.<\/p>\n
Paul, who was born six months before Tyson famously bit off a portion of Evander Holyfield\u2019s ear in their 1997 rematch, first gained fame on YouTube before turning to boxing.<\/p>\n
Since his first bout against a fellow YouTuber in 2018, Paul has fought various opponents, including a basketball player, MMA fighters, and other professional boxers. In 11 matches, he has won 10 (seven by knockout) and lost one.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel really good, sharp, powerful, and explosive. It\u2019s going to be a short night for Mike,\u201d Paul said at Tuesday\u2019s open workout, where he sported a rooster-shaped headdress.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s clear that a prime, 1980s Tyson would likely have disposed of Paul within minutes. But does Tyson still retain any trace of the power and skill that made him the youngest heavyweight champion in history in 1986, at age 20?<\/p>\n
Veteran promoter Bob Arum, 92, is blunt.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe answer is no,\u201d Arum told SecondsOut.com last month.<\/p>\n
\u201cA 58-year-old man, no matter how good or athletic they were, can\u2019t compete at that level anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope Mike doesn\u2019t get hurt, but I really give him almost no chance.\u201d
\nAFP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul By Publisher Kindly share: Nearly 40 years after his professional debut, and 19 years after…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,14],"tags":[886],"class_list":["post-3346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-sports","tag-mike-tyson"],"yoast_head":"\n